STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE BRANCH JOBS

Health Program Assistant 2 (35 Hour)

Office/On-site

Recruitment #240307-4405HC-001

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Introduction


THE POSITION
The State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health (DPH), is currently seeking enthusiastic and driven candidates to apply for the position of Health Program Assistant 2 within the Tobacco Control Program. 

The Tobacco Control Program within the DPH Chronic Diseases and Injury Prevention Section focuses on four key goals to: 1) prevent initiation of commercial tobacco use among youth and young adults; 2) eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke; 3) promote quitting among adults and youth; and 4) advance health equity by identifying and eliminating commercial tobacco product-related inequities and disparities.

This Health Program Assistant 2 position will serve as the program lead for youth cannabis prevention initiatives and activities and will coordinate public education and outreach, including partnership building. This position also will be responsible for working to ensure surveillance findings are integrated across statewide prevention initiatives, providing input on developing best practices and policy adoption, and developing messages and offering solutions to address emerging issues, including cannabis-related data trends.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • UNIT: Tobacco Control Program
  • ADDRESS: 410 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT
  • WORK HOURS: Full-time, first shift, 35 hours per week 
  • SCHEDULE: Typical work schedule of Monday through Friday
    • There is an opportunity for partial telework and flexible/alternate schedule to support a healthy work-life balance. 
WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU 
  • The opportunity to work for a Forbes top company: 'Forbes' State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule
  • A Platinum Healthcare Plan, the nation’s best for state employees and dependents, according to a report by Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reform and article by Ellen Andrews, Ph.D., along with comprehensive benefit offerings
  • Extensive pension plan and supplemental retirement offerings
  • Generous paid time off, including 13 paid holidays per calendar year
  • Professional growth and development opportunities
  • A healthy work/life balance to all employees
  • State of Connecticut is an eligible Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer, meaning you may be eligible to have qualifying student loans forgiven after 10 years of service.  Click here for more information.
As a Health Program Assistant 2, you will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following duties:    
  • Building and facilitating relationships with other DPH programs and state agencies;
  • Data Dissemination: Assisting in the development and/or modification of data management and data dissemination plans and surveillance systems to ensure data assets address program needs, including a variety of data sources;
  • Developing standard operating procedures to address potential cannabis issues that impact public health;
  • Developing health promotion messaging for agency web pages, including fact sheets and social media posts;
  • Evaluating the impact of health promotion and education efforts and developing tools necessary to promote health equity;
  • Participating in community outreach events to promote prevention messages;
  • Presenting surveillance findings to various audiences, including state and local substance use prevention coalitions and at statewide conferences;
  • Assisting with responding to cannabis-related legislative and media inquiries on the public health impacts of cannabis use;
  • Participating in meetings, webinars, trainings, and conferences to stay current on national and state trends around cannabis policy and surveillance; and 
  • Acting as a key staff for budget and fiscal monitoring to track DPH cannabis expenditures. 
ABOUT US 
The Mission of the Department of Public Health (DPH) is to protect and improve the health and safety of the people of Connecticut by assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy, preventing disease, injury, and disability, and promoting the equal enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, which is a human right and a priority of the state. 

DPH accomplishes this through the implementation of its Strategic Plan which outlines the actions that DPH is taking to accomplish its Mission.

Selection Plan

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING: 

Please read or watch our Applicant Tips on How to Apply!


Please Note: For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.

TO APPLY
  • In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified. 
  • In order to receive educational credits toward qualification for this job posting, the institution must be accredited.  If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the recruiter listed on this job posting.
  • You must specify your qualifications on your application. You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.
  • In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.
  • All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
  • This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.
AFTER YOU APPLY 
  • Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. 
  • This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
  • NOTE: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
  • The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
  • Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position.
  • Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees which is available at www.ct.gov/ethics.
    CONNECT WITH US 
    • Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process.
    • Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Jensine Tran at jensine.tran@ct.gov. 

    PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

    In a state health program or project this class is accountable for compiling and interpreting fiscal and programmatic data and statistics, developing and implementing program plans and monitoring and evaluating a state health program or project for the purposes of quality assurance and compliance with State and Federal laws.

    EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

    As with all jobs in the generic health program series the exact duties vary considerably depending on the nature of the program and the current stage in its life cycle. Typical examples of work performed at this level include:

    • Assists in the preparation of sections of state health plans or special federal or state program plans; 
    • Gathers fiscal, programmatic, census and other kinds of needed data from complex calculations and interpretations; 
    • Reviews program grants requests and monitors fiscal and programmatic performance of grants using agency regulations and guidelines; 
    • Monitors programs using site visits when necessary; 
    • Assists in the preparation of program objectives and evaluation of program results; 
    • Prepares information for public distribution; 
    • May serve as staff to a task force or committee; 
    • May answer general informational questions for the public; 
    • May serve as a liaison between the program or project and specific people or organizations for the purpose of keeping information flowing; 
    • May assist in epidemiological investigations; 
    • Performs related duties as required.

    KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

    • Knowledge of
      • purposes, plans, objectives and programs of public health agencies including the changing patterns of preventive medicine and environmental health; 
      • the changing aspects of socio-medical philosophies; 
      • state and community organizations and programs involved in the field of health; 
    • Considerable
      • interpersonal skills;
      • oral and written communication skills; 
    • Ability to conduct independent research, develop and gather data.

    MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

    Six (6) years of experience in a professional capacity in a health organization.

    MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

    One (1) year of the General Experience must have been in health care program administration, a health systems agency or other health care organization in at least one of the following areas:

    • grant writing or monitoring; 
    • formal program planning, development, management or evaluation; 
    • program consultation.

    NOTE:

    • For state employees this experience is interpreted at the level of a Health Program Assistant 1.
    • A health care organization is defined as a large multi-dimensional agency with responsibility for developing health programs.

    MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

    • College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (l5) semester hours equalling one half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
    • A Master's degree in public health, health education, hospital administration, or public administration or other closely related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.
    • For state employees one (1) year as a Health Program Assistant 1 may substitute for the General and Special Experience.

    PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

    • Experience developing and implementing public health initiatives that respond to federal and state priorities and policies, including conducting public health program process and outcome evaluations
    • Experience developing, managing, and monitoring contracts, including progress reporting and budget oversight
    • Experience developing and building partnerships with state, local, and community organizations
    • Experience preparing written reports and delivering information to various audiences, including media, legislature, and other stakeholders
    • Experience working with a variety of software packages, including Microsoft Office products and Adobe Acrobat, to create health promotion materials as well as experience with web site content and messaging

    SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

    Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

    Conclusion

    AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

    The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

    ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

    As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.




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